January 25, 2005
The Texas A&M Aggies (13-3, 2-3 in Big 12) reach for their first Big 12 road win of the season when they play the Nebraska Cornhuskers (8--7, 2-3 in Big 12) on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. (Central) at the Devaney Center (13,500 cap.) in Lincoln, Neb. The game will be televised in Nebraska by Fox Sports Net Midwest in Nebraska only.
The Aggies are coming off a 65-51 win against Kansas State at home on Saturday, which ended a two-game losing streak. The Cornhuskers opened Big 12 play with a pair of wins, but have since lost three straight and are coming off an 80-70 loss at Missouri on Saturday.
Nebraska leads the series, 9-3, with a 5-1 edge in games played in Lincoln. A&M is 1-2 in road games this season while the Cornhuskers are 6-3 at home. Nebraska won last year in College Station, 83-77, but A&M won two years ago in Lincoln, 53-52.
GAME #17
Texas A&M AGGIES
(13-3 2-3 Big 12)
vs.
Nebraska CORNHUSKERS
(8-7, 2-3 Big 12)
7:05 p.m. (Central)
Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2005
Devaney Center (13,500 cap.)
Lincoln, Neb.
RADIO:
Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Colin Killian, commentary
Airtime: 6:45 p.m. (Central)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
SIRIUS SATELLITE: Ch. 111 (Nebraska feed)
TELEVISION:
Fox Sports Net Midwest
(Shown only in Nebraska)
Greg Sharpe, play-by-play
Matt Davison, commentary
About Nebraska
The Cornhuskers return 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's team that finished 18-13 overall and tied for ninth in the Big 12 with a 6-10 record. Nebraska advanced to the NIT, winning two games before falling to Hawaii, 84-83. The Cornhuskers are in their fifth year under head coach Barry Collier. Nebraska's non-conference schedule was highlighted by a 62-61 win at Tennessee. The Cornhuskers opened Big 12 play with a 95-85 double overtime win at home against Kansas State, followed by a 68-61 road win at Colorado. They have lost their last three games, falling at home to Texas (63-53) and on the road to Kansas (59-57) and Missouri (80-70). Nebraska has six players averaging at least 7.9 points, led by freshman guard Joe McCray (6'5"), who is averaging 15.5 points, second most among Big 12 freshmen. McCray leads the Big 12 in three-point field goals, averaging 3.1 per game. Senior guard Marcus Neal (6'0") averages 10.8 points and a team-high 3.6 assists, while senior forward John Turek (6'9") adds 8.7 points, junior guard Jason Dourisseau (6'5") averages 8.5 points and junior forward Wes Wilkinson (6'9") contributes 8.1 points. Freshman center Aleks Maric (6'11") leads the team in rebounding with 7.2 per game and adds 7.9 points. Nebraska is one of the Big 12's top defensive teams, ranking third in the league in scoring defense (60.2) and field goal percentage defense (.388). The Cornhuskers also rank third in rebounding margin (+7.4). Nebraska averages 67.8 points per game while making 41.8 percent from the field.
Quick Notes
*Junior Antoine Wright, a preseason All-Big 12 pick, has posted four double-doubles. He ranks fourth in the Big 12 in scoring (17.3) and is the only Big 12 player to rank in the top 13 in the league in six categories.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has had five double-doubles, most by a league freshman, and ranks fifth in the Big 12 in rebounding (7.5). He's the only Big 12 freshman to average at least 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds.
*Sophomore Acie Law ranks second in the Big 12 in assists (5.1), while senior Bobby Leach ranks third in assist/turnover ratio (2.95) and leads in conference play (3.60).
*A&M leads the Big 12 in scoring defense (58.9) and ranks second in field goal percentage defense (.365), ranking among the national leaders in both categories.
*The Aggies are second in the Big 12 and sixth nationally in assists (18.1). A&M is second in the league in field goal percentage (.494). A&M has the best assist ratio in the Big 12 with 67.6 percent of its field goals being assisted.
*The Aggies have out-rebounded 13 of 16 opponents and lead the Big 12 in rebounding margin (+8.3).
*A&M is averaging 25.6 free throw attempts per game, most in the Big 12.
*A&M is averaging just 13.2 turnovers in the last six games.
*A&M is on pace to break its season attendance record for the season and in conference play. The Aggies already have set marks for single game (12,811 vs. Texas), non-conference game (11,200 vs. Houston) and opening night (6,929 vs. North Carolina A&T). The Aggies set a record for non-conference average attendance with 5,338.
*A&M has posted 60 blocked shots this season, already surpassing last year's season total of 35.
Who's Hot?
*Junior Antoine Wright has averaged 18.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in the last three games, including a season-high 24 points against Oklahoma. Wright has had four double-doubles and missed two more by one rebound. His 1,062 career points rank 24th in A&M history.
*Sophomore Acie Law scored 17 points and added five assists while making 5-of-7 (.714) from the field and 3-of-4 (.750) three--pointers against Kansas State.
*Freshman Joseph Jones has averaged 12.2 points and 7.6 rebounds while making 60.0 percent from the field in conference play with two double-doubles. His five double-doubles for the season are the most by a Big 12 freshman.
*Senior Bobby Leach has averaged 9.5 points and 3.8 assists while making 5-of-8 (.625) from three-point range in the last four games.
The Series
Nebraska leads the series, 9-3, with a 5-1 advantage in games played in Lincoln. A&M won the last game played in Lincoln, posting a 53-52 win two years ago. The Cornhuskers won last year in College Station, 83-77.
TEXAS A&M vs. Nebraska
(NU leads, 9-3)
Year Winner Site
1969-70 Nebraska, 78-69 Houston
1986-87 A&M, 66-64 College Station
1987-88 Nebraska, 92-60 Lincoln
1991-92 Nebraska, 91-68 Lincoln
1996-97 Nebraska, 74-72 Lincoln
1997-98 Nebraska, 75-58 College Station
1998-99 Nebraska, 87-68 Lincoln
1999-00 A&M, 83-76 (ot) College Station
2000-01 Nebraska, 97-69 Lincoln
2001-02 Nebraska, 82-72 College Station
2002-03 A&M, 53-52 Lincoln
2003-04 Nebraska, 83-77 College Station
The Coaches
TEXAS A&M
Billy Gillispie (Texas State '83)
13-3 at A&M (1st year)
43-35 overall (3rd year)
0-0 vs. Nebraska
0-0 vs. Barry Collier
NEBRASKA
Barry Collier (Butler '76)
64-70 at NU (5th year)
260-202 overall (16th year)
3-1 vs. Texas A&M
0-0 vs. Billy Gillispie
Sidebars
Texas A&M Director of Athletics Bill Byrne served as Nebraska's athletic director from 1992-2002...Byrne hired both head coaches, bringing Barry Collier to Nebraska in 2000 and hiring Billy Gillispie at A&M last March...A&M junior Logan Lee, sitting out this season under NCAA transfer rules, helped Hawaii to an 84-83 NIT win against Nebraska last seaso, starting at point guard and handing out nine assists...in the last two seasons, Billy Gillispie has a recoird of 37-11 (.771), third best among Big 12 coaches behind Oklahoma State's Eddie Sutton (45-7, .865) and Kansas' Bill Self (38-10, .792) going into Tuesday's games.
Tentative Starters
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (13-3, 2-3)
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
30 Joseph Jones 6'9" Fr. 12.1 7.5 1.3 blk
10 Chris Walker 6'5" Jr. 4.3 3.0 61% FG
21 Antoine Wright 6'7" Jr. 17.3 6.1 49% FG
22 Dominique Kirk 6'3" Fr. 8.3 2.4 2.8 ast
1 Acie Law 6'3" So. 13.2 4.0 5.1 ast
Off the Bench
No. Player Ht. Cl. PPG RPG Other
15 Bobby Leach 6'0" Sr. 5.9 2.3 3.5 ast
4 Edjuan Green 6'7" Jr. 4.6 4.1 56% FG
42 Marlon Pompey 6'8" So. 4.1 3.5 0.7 blk
2 Marcus McIntosh 6'0" So. 2.6 0.8 --
11 Luis Clemente 6'8" Jr. 2.3 1.8 --
5 Kenneth White 6'1" Fr. 1.8 0.7 --
33 Justin Loewe 6'4" So. 1.6 0.4 --
3 Brian Blackburn 5'8" So. 0.0 0.0 --
25 Matt Koeneke 6'6" So. 0.0 0.0 --
Gillispie Quoteboard
"Nebraska runs the Princeton offense and they do a really good job of exposing you. They're very efficient. You think of Princeton as scoring 40 or 50 points and all that kind of stuff, but a lot of teams are running the Princeton offense at a faster pace and their production is very efficient. That's what Nebraska is. They really shoot the three well. You have to guard all five positions, which is a definite challenge for us because we're not as mobile as some teams are. We'll have to really pressure and limit their backdoor opportunities and then contest their threes. Coach Collier has done a great job and they're really hard to beat. I think they're a team that could emerge as one of the upper echelon teams in the league if they continue to get better."
Tale of the Tape
(2004-05 stat comparison)
A&M NU
Record 13-3 8-7
Conference 2-3 2-3
Ratings Pct. Index (RPI) 76 140
Sagarin Rating 31 85
Current Streak W1 L3
Field Goal Pct. .494 .418
Opponent FG Pct. .365 .388
3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .388 .330
Opponent 3-Pt. Pct. .305 .312
3-Pt. Field Goal Avg. 5.8 7.1
3-Pt. FG Attempts Avg. 15.0 21.6
Free Throw Pct. .649 .613
Opponent FT Pct. .655 .650
Rebound Avg. 39.2 41.1
Offensive Reb. Avg. 12.9 14.3
Rebounding Margin +8.3 +7.6
Turnovers Avg. 15.9 14.1
Opp. Turnovers Avg. 17.6 13.9
Assists Avg. 18.1 13.8
Blocks Avg. 3.8 3.9
Steals Avg. 7.3 6.2
Scoring Avg. 76.1 67.8
Opponent Scoring 58.9 60.2
Scoring Margin +17.2 +7.6
Kansas State Recap
COLLEGE STATION (AP)- Acie Law recovered from an early ankle injury to score 17 points and Antoine Wright added 14, leading Texas A&M to a 65-51 victory over Kansas State on Saturday. Wright started a 14-4 run midway through the second half with a 3-pointer and Law finished it with a jumper from the corner to end a two-game losing streak for the Aggies. Freshman Joseph Jones had 12 points and eight rebounds and Bobby Leach chipped in with 10 points and six assists to improve A&M's home record to 12-1 this season. Jeremiah Massey led Kansas State with 20 points, and was the only Wildcats player to score in double figures. After a week-long layoff following a 20-point upset of Missouri, Kansas State struggled to find its shooting touch. The Wildcats shot just 40 percent, including 23 percent from behind the arc after entering the game ranked third nationally in 3-point shooting at 43.2 percent. Meanwhile, the Aggies' aggressive pressure defense, ranked No. 6 nationally in field-goal percentage, carried them for long stretches of the game, particularly when Law came up hobbling after an early collision. Law hurt his left ankle two minutes into the game and had to be escorted off the floor by a couple of teammates.
Last Year vs. Nebraska
COLLEGE STATION (AP, Feb. 11, 2004)- Nate Johnson hit four free throws in the final minute of play and scored 19 points to lead Nebraska to an 83-77 victory over Texas A&M. Nebraska only hit two field goals in the last 14 minutes of play, but hit 25-of-26 free throws over the same stretch to outlast A&M. The two teams combined for 71 free throws and 55 fouls with 52 of those shots and 37 of the fouls occurring in the second half. The Aggies were led by Jesse King's 18 points and seven rebounds. A&M opened the game 0-of-6 from the field, allowing Nebraska to get out to an early 8-1 lead. Johnson scored eight points early in the half to build the NU lead, forcing A&M to play catch-up for the rest of half as Nebraska shot 52-percent from the field. Back-to-back scores from Acie Law along with just three Nebraska points in the final five minutes of the first period opened the door for the Aggies. A last second shot by Bobby Leach gave A&M a 33-32 halftime edge, its first lead of the game. The lead was shortlived as the Huskers' opened the second half on an 18-3 run to take a 50-36 lead. Nebraska's fast start hit a road block midway through the second half, as the Cornhuskers could not get any open looks and kept heading to the line. A&M trailed by as little as three with 1:04 remaining when Andrew Drevo left the game due to a bloody nose. Drevo had 18 points and 9 rebounds when he left the game, leaving A&M an opportunity to cut out the lead once and for all. Nebraska hit all eight of its free throws in the final minute to hold on to the win.
Last Time in Lincoln
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP, Jan. 15, 2003)- Bernard King scored 18 points as Texas A&M beat Nebraska 53-52 at the Devaney Center. King drained a pair of free throws and a connected on a basket in the final 1:55. The Aggies trailed 23-19 late in the first half until freshman Antoine Wright connected on a pair of three-point baskets to give A&M a 25-23 lead that they would not relinquish until the 2:17 mark to play in the game at 50-49. The Aggies held Nebraska without a field goal for the first seven minutes of the second half, outscoring the Cornhuskers 9-1 to build a 40-29 lead. Nebraska countered with a 10-1 run, cutting the Aggie lead to 41-39 on Brennon Clemmons' putback with 8:40 left. But A&M's Wright stemmed the Cornhusker run with back-to-back jumpers, including a 3-pointer. Tomas Ress then hit a 3-pointer to give A&M a 49-39 lead with 6:36 left. Nebraska again rallied, scoring 11 unanswered points over the next 4:30 to take a 50-49. King's first free throw in the final two minutes tied the score at 50, and then he gave A&M the lead with his second made free throw at 51-50. Nebraska's Corey Simms drained a jumper with 1:40 to play to give the Cornhuskers a 52-51 advantage. King then hit a jumper with a minute left to put the Aggies up 53-52. The score stood as both teams missed chances in the final 60 seconds.
Historic Start
Billy Gillispie's 13-3 start is the best by a first-year coach in A&M history. The previous record was 12-4 by A&M's first coach, F.D. Steger, in 1912-15. Gillispie already has posted the fourth most wins by a first-year Aggie coach and is chasing the record of 18 (18-7) by Shelby Metcalf in 1963-64. The Aggies' 11-0 start was the third best in A&M history and was was the best since the 1919-20 team went undefeated (19-0). The 1915-16 team also started 11-0. A&M's 13-3 record is its best after 14 games since the 1978-79 team also started 13-3. A&M began the season with an 11-game winning streak, the third longest in school history and the longest since A&M won a record 25 straight over two seasons from 1919-21. After beat No. 9-ranked Texas on Jan. 12, the Aggies received 37 votes in the next AP poll (28th), its most in more than 20 years.
MOST WINS BY A FIRST-YEAR A&M COACH
Coach (Year) Record
1. Shelby Metcalf (1963-64) 18-7
2. John Floyf (1950-51) 17-12
3. D.X. Bible (1920-21) 16-6
4. Billy Gillispie (2004-05) 13-3
Basketball Jones
Freshman Joseph Jones has had an impressive start to his college career. Jones leads the Aggies in rebounding (7.5), ranking fifth in the Big 12, and is third in scoring (12.1). Jones has had five double-doubles, including two in Big 12 play, most by a Big 12 freshman this season. He leads all league freshmen in rebounding. Jones also leads the Aggies in three-point plays with eight. He scored 13 points with 10 boards in the Aggies upset of No. 9-ranked Texas and followed with 13 points and 11 boards at Texas Tech. After Jones scored a game-high 16 points against Kansas, Jayhawks coach Bill Self said, "Joseph Jones was the best player in the game tonight." Jones also had seven rebounds against KU, including five offensive boards, and had a trio of three-point plays. He had an impressive college debut against North Carolina A&T, scoring 10 points with 10 rebounds, only the second time in A&M history that a freshman posted a double-double in his first game. The other was Winston Crite, who had a 24-point, 15-rebound performance against Texas Lutheran in 1983-84. Jones has scored in double figures in 11 games and added another double-double against Houston, scoring a career-high 23 points with 10 rebounds. He also had a double-double against UT-Permian Basin, scoring 12 points with 13 rebounds. Jones is the only Big 12 freshman to average at least 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds. He played a season-low 12 minutes against Louisiana-Monroe because of an injury, scoring just two points with one rebound, but in the nine games since has averaged 14.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and made 67.1 percent from the field (49-of-73).
Law and Order
Sophomore Acie Law ranks second in the Big 12 in assists with 5.1 per game and is second on the team in scoring (13.2). Law also ranks sixth in the Big 12 in field goal percentage at .533, second best by a guard.Law scored 24 points with six assists in the upset of No. 9 Texas, making 10-of-13 from the field and 3-of-5 three-pointers, and scored 17 in the victory over Kansas State, making 3-of-4 three-pointers. He scored a career-high 25 points in the win against Houston while adding nine assists and making 12-of-12 free throws, the best free throw performance by an A&M player since 1987. He added 19 points (with a career-high eight rebounds) against Penn State, making the winning free throws with 11 seconds left. He scored 18 points with a career-high 11 assists against UTPB, his first career double-double. He has scored in double figures in 11 games.
The Wright Stuff
Junior Antoine Wright, a preseason All-Big 12 pick by the league's coaches and media, is off to an all-conference start. He leads the team in scoring with an 17.3 average, ranking fourth in the Big 12. Wright earned Midseason First-Team All-Big 12 honors by the Rocky Mountain News in early January. He's the only Big 12 player to rank among the league's top 15 in scoring, rebounding (12th, 6.1), field goal percentage (9th, .488), free throw percentage (13th, .686), three-point percentage (3rd, .413) and three-point field goals (8th, 1.94). Wright has had four double-doubles and missed two more by just a single rebound. After being held to one point in the first half at Kansas, Wright helped the Aggies pull off a near-upset with 13 second-half points, including a trio of three-pointers, one that tied the game in the final minute. He scored 18 points and tied his career-high with 12 rebounds at Texas Tech. Wright scored 21 points with nine rebounds against Trinity and followed with a 17-point, 10-rebound effort against UT-Permian Basin. He then added another double-double with identical numbers against Oakland. After an eight-point outing against Alabama A&M, he has scored at least 19 points in five of the last six games, including a season-high 23 points against Grambling. In the last 10 games, he's averaged 18.1 points. He has scored in double figures in all but two games this season. Wright also has come up big defensively. In last season's loss to Houston, Wright allowed the Cougars' Andre Owens to score 41 points -- the most against the Aggies since 1977. This year, Wright held Owens to just four points in an impressive 93-80 victory. After earning Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors and being named third-team All-Big 12 in 2002-03, Wright was named honorable mention All-Big 12 last season. If he were named All-Big 12 this year, he would become only the 10th player in school history to earn an all-conference designation three times. Wright is on pace to become only the third A&M player to earn all-conference honors four times, joining Bernard King (1999-03) and Vernon Smith (1977-81), who are the top two scorers in school history. Wright has scored 1,064 career points, ranking him 24th on the A&M chart. In addition to his obvious statistical improvements, Wright has been taking the ball to the basket more aggressively this season, reflected in part by his team-high 14 dunks. Wright had 11 dunks in 56 career games entering the season. Wright's 141 three-point field goals already rank third on A&M's career list with his 398 attempts rank second.
THE WRIGHT WAY
STAT 2003-04 2004-05
PPG 13.5 17.3
RPG 4.1 6.1
FG Pct. .368 .488
3-Pt. FG Pct. .297 .413
FT Pct. .626 .686
Dunks 5 14
A&M CAREER SCORING
Player Years Points
1. Bernard King 1999-03 1,990
2. Vernon Smith 1977-81 1,778
3. John Beasley 1963-66 1,594
4. Winston Crite 1983-87 1,576
5. Rynn Wright 1977-81 1,495
6. Claude Riley 1979-83 1,383
7. Carroll Broussard 1959-62 1,382
8. Bennie Lenox 1961-64 1,344
9. Todd Holloway 1983-87 1,331
10. Rudy Woods 1978-82 1,272
Closing in:
24. Antoine Wright 2002-05 1,064
Pompey Pays Off
Sophomore Marlon Pompey played sparingly last year as a freshman because of a nagging leg injury, but he still managed to make 9-of-11 (.818) shots from the field. Against North Carolina A&T in the opener, he scored a career-high 12 points with five boards while making 6-of-6 from the field. He scored six points and posted a career-high eight rebounds in the win against Houston, then followed with five points and six boards against Penn State. He scored eight points at Texas Tech. Pompey has scored at least five points in nine games this season and ranks fifth on the team in rebounds (3.5). He is second on the team in blocks (11).
Record Crowds
A crowd of 12,811 attended the Texas game, the largest crowd in school history, followed by the seventh largest crowd of 11,971 against Oklahoma. A&M has drawn four of the 11 largest crowds in A&M annals in the last four games. The crowd of 11,200 that attended the Houston game on Dec. 29 was the eighth largest in school history and the largest for a non-conference opponent. It also was a school record for a game played during the Christmas break. The North Carolina A&T game attracted an attendance of 6,929, the best for a home opener in school history. The previous best was 6,511 against North Texas in the first game played at Reed Arena in 1998-99. The crowd also was the third best for a non-conference home game in school annals behind the record of 7,192 against LSU in 1981-82 (G. Rollie White Coliseum) and 7,075 against Long Beach State in 2001-02 (Reed Arena). A&M averaged 5,338 for the 10 non-conference home games, a school record for non-conference attendance. Last year under Billy Gillispie, UTEP enjoyed the largest attendance increase in college basketball, averaging 10,282 per game. The fans didn't wait until the team started winning big, either. Coming off a 6-24 season, the Miners attracted at least 7,000 for each of their first four home games, despite playing lesser-known opponents. After a 5-1 start, UTEP sold out (12,000) its Dec. 17 game against New Mexico State and went on to seven more sellouts, including four straight to end the season.
TEXAS A&M SEASON ATTENDANCE AVERAGE
Year (s) Avg.
1. 2002-03 6,466
2. 1980-81 6,141
3. 2003-04 6,100
Closing:
2004-05 6,758
TEXAS A&M CONFERENCE SEASON ATTENDANCE AVERAGE
Year (s) Avg.
1. 2002-03 8,157
3. 2003-04 7,333
3. 1974-75 7,145
Closing:
2004-05 11,491
Stout Defense
A&M leads the Big 12, and ranks 13th nationally, in scoring defense (58.9) and ranks second in the league and among the national leaders in field goal percentage defense (.365). The Aggies led the nation in field goal percentage defense before Oklahoma made a 53.2 percent, the first time this season and opponent has shot better than 48 percent against A&M. The Aggies rank 11th nationally, and third in the Big 12, in scoring margin (+17.2). UTPB scored just 36 points, the fewest by an opponent since the Aggies beat Texas, 73-29, in 1958-59. UTPB also made just 20.8 percent from the field, the lowest by an opponent in A&M history. Prairie View scored just 15 second-half points, making just 4-of-26 (.154) from the field as A&M broke away from a six-point halftime lead to a 42-point win, allowing just 40 points. The Aggies matched their season-best by allowing 36 points against Louisiana-Monroe, the third lowest total in that school's history. Penn State made a whopping 64 percent in the first half, but just 26 percent in the second as A&M overcame a 17-point deficit to win, 62-60. Last season, A&M held just six opponents to under 40 percent field goal accuracy in 28 games. This year, 10 opponents have shot 40 percent or under. No. 9-ranked Texas shot a season-low 32.3 percent against the Aggies.
Taking the Lead
A&M has trailed by more than seven points in just three games this season, falling behind by 17 at Penn State before rallying to win, 62-60, and falling behind by 16 at Texas Tech (70-56 loss) and at home against No. 18 Oklahoma (a 70-54 loss). In non-conference play, the Aggies faced just two second-half deficits, briefly trailing Alabama A&M, 47-46, at the 14:04 mark, and trailing Penn State, 45-28, at the 18:11 mark. A&M has led wire-to-wire in five games. The Aggies have led at halftime in 12 of 16 games, but has trailed at intermission in four of the last six games. Of 32 halves played, the Aggies have been out-scored just eight times.
Getting Offensive
The Aggies rank second in the Big 12 and 20th nationally in field goal percentage (.494). Last year, A&M shot better than 50 percent from the field just three times. This season, A&M has shot better than 50 percent in eight games. A&M has scored 80 or more points in seven games, including four games with more than 90. Last season, Billy Gillispie's UTEP team scored at least 80 points in 15 of its 32 games. A&M scored 80 or more points in just eight games in each of the previous two years. The Miners ranked among the national leaders in scoring offense, scoring margin, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free throw percentage. Meanwhile, A&M ranked last in the Big 12 in field goal percentage and three-point percentage and was near the bottom in scoring offense and scoring margin.
Unselfish Aggies
The Aggies rank second in the Big 12 and are sixth nationally in assists with an average of 18.1 per game. For the season, 290 of the Aggies' 429 field goals (.676) have been assisted, the best rate in the Big 12.
Random Notes
No. 9-ranked Texas was only the third top 10 team A&M's ever beaten and the first since 1982 (No. 5 Texas in Austin, 71-69)...the only other top 10 team A&M's beaten was Bob Knight's No. 10 Indiana team, 54-49, at the 1978 Great Alaska Shootout...despite having a relatively small team, the Aggies have dominated inside, averaging 36.0 points in the paint after averaging 25.6 last season. A&M also has done a good job converting turnovers, averaging 20.9 points off turnovers after averaging just 15.3 last year. And after averaging just 7.8 fast break points a year ago, the Aggies are averaging 14.5 this season.
Turnovers Down
The Aggies are committing an average of 15.9 turnovers per game, most in the Big 12. However, the Aggies have averaged just 13.2 turnovers in the last six games. A&M ranks fifth in the league in turnover margin (+1.75) and is also fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.14).
A Foul Figure
The Aggies average 21.6 personal fouls per game. The Aggies have committed at least 18 personal fouls in 14 games. That number has been off-set somewhat by A&M's opponents averaging 21.2 fouls per contest. Consequently, the Aggies are averaging a whopping 25.6 free throw attempts per game, the most in the Big 12. A&M is averaging 3.7 more attempts per game than its opponents.
Captain Kirk
After scoring just three points in the opener, freshman Dominique Kirk has scored in double figures in six games. For the season, Kirk is fourth on the team in scoring with 8.3 per game and is second with 17 three-point field goals, making 36.2 percent. Against Alabama A&M, Kirk scored a career-high 18 points and also posted personal bests in rebounds (7) and steals (4). Kirk handed out a career-high 8 assists against Chicago State, and added 15 points in the win against Houston. Kirk and Joseph Jones -- both true freshmen -- are the only Aggies to start in every game.
Leach's Reach
The Aggies' only scholarship senior, Bobby Leach ranks third in the Big 12 in assist/turnover ratio (2.95) and leads the league in conference play (3.60). Leach is second on the team in assists (3.5) and leads the Aggies in league play (3.6). Leach has made 12-of-24 (.500) from three-point range after making just 5-of-16 (.313) all of last season. Leach has handed out at least three assists in eight of the last 10 games, including a season high of six in wins against No. 9-ranked Texas and Kansas State. He's scored in all but two games this season and had a career-high 10 points against, Texas, Kansas State and Chicago State. He had nine points at Texas Tech and against Oklahoma and is averaging 9.5 points in the last four games.
Board Stiff
The Aggies have out-rebounded 13 of 16 opponents this season and lead the Big 12 in rebounding margin at +8.3, ranking among the leaders nationally. The Aggies have had a double-figure rebounding margin in six games. The only teams to out-board the Aggies have been Penn State (39-35), Texas (39-33) and Oklahoma (31-25). Kansas State out-boarded the Aggies, 20-12, in the first half, but A&M posted a dominating 24-9 margin in the second half.
Green Machine
Junior Edjuan Green scored a career-high 17 points with nine rebounds against Prairie View A&M, and scored 14 points and added a career-high 11 rebounds against Grambling for his first career double-double. He ranks sixth on the team in scoring (4.6) and is third in rebounding (4.1) while making 56.0 percent (28-of-50) from the field. Green had six rebounds in just eight minutes at Kansas, including four offensive boards. As a senior at Spring High School in 2002, Green ranked second in rebounding in the Greater Houston area, just behind Emeka Okafor (formerly of Connecticut) and just ahead of Lawrence Roberts (Mississippi State). Green ranked second nationally in rebounding in the JUCO ranks last season at Temple College, averaging 14.2 per game.
Walker, Texas Ranger
Junior Chris Walker, a walk-on from Dallas, has played in all 16 games and started in the last 11. Walker has made 60.6 percent (20-of-33) from the field and nailed 3-of-6 three-pointers, including one to open the game at Kansas, where he finished with seven points. He leads the team in free throw percentage at 71.4 percent (25-of-34). Walker has made 8-of-9 free throws (889) in Big 12 play, including all six in the win against Texas. He scored 12 points against UTPB and added nine points and a team-high four assists against Alabama A&M. He posted a career-high nine rebounds against Houston. Prior to this season, Walker had not played organized basketball since 2001-02, when he earned freshman All-America honors at UT-Dallas, an NCAA Div. III school. Walker transferred to A&M for academic reasons and is an academic All-America candidate. His high school coach, Darryn Shearmire, is an old friend of Billy Gillispie's and contacted the new coach about Walker during the summer.
On the Line
A&M has been inconsistent from the free throw line. The Aggies made 76.0 percent from the line in the first three games, but made just 56.0 percent (94-of-168) in the next six games. The Aggies have made 68.7 percent in the last seven games, including 69.6 percent in Big 12 play. A&M ranks ninth in the Big 12 in free throw shooting (.649), off-set somewhat by averaging a league-best 25.6 attempts per game.
Lone Star Roster
When he began looking for a head basketball coach last March, Texas A&M Director of Athletics Bill Byrne said he wanted someone with Texas ties to help the Aggies attract some of the state's homegrown talent. Last year, only four players on the roster were from Texas, including a pair of non-scholarship players. This season, 12 of the 17 players on Billy Gillispie's roster are products of Texas High Schools, the most in school history. Only twice in the previous 26 seasons has A&M had as many as 11 Texas players - in 1996-97 under Tony Barone, and in 1978-79 under Shelby Metcalf. Billy Gillipsie is the first native Texan (Graford) to serve as A&M's head basketball coach since J.B. Reid (1929-35), not including John Thornton (San Antonio), who was interim head coach for just 12 games in 1989-90. In addition, Gillispie hired two Texas natives as assistant coaches - Alvin Brooks (Houston) and Buzz Williams (Van Alystyne). The last Texan to be an assistant at A&M was Thornton (1981-90). The last time A&M has two full-time assistant coaches from Texas was in 1981-82, when Thornton joined Barry Davis (Galveston) on Shelby Metcalf's staff. Thornton is now the senior associate athletic director at A&M.
What Positions?
Billy Gillispie has chosen not to list player positions on the roster. "Our players play so many positions that it's really not accurate to designate someone as a guard or forward anymore, so we decided not to do it," Gillispie said.
Travel Light
The Aggies play a school-record 18 home games this season, including a record 10 straight to open the season. The previous record was 15 home games at G. Rollie White Coliseum in 1991-92.
On the Block
The Aggies already have posted 60 blocked shots this season after having just 35 all of last year. The Aggies had 10 blocks against Grambling, tying for third most in school history. A&M added nine against UT-Permian Basin, 10th most in school annals.
Steady Lineup
The Aggies used five different starting lineups in the first eight games, but have started the same group in the last nine contests (Acie Law, Dominique Kirk, Antoine Wright, Chris Walker and Joseph Jones). Kirk and Jones, both true freshmen, are the only players to start in every game.
About the Bench
A&M has averaged 21.3 bench points this season, but only 11.6 in Big 12 play. Senior Bobby Leach, junior Edjuan Green and sophomore Marlon Pompey are normally the first players off the bench. Leach is emerging as one of the top reserves in the league, averaging 7.6 points in league play.